US 104th Infantry Division, Germany 1945

I finally placed the finishing touches on this weeklong project. It has been quite enjoyable toying with the composition, utilising some of the diorama accessories from Miniart from my stash.

For the first time, I used the RC markers from AK Interactive to lay in the base colours for the accessories. I find them incredibly convenient to use and, if I might add, virtually idiot-proof. The paint flows smoothly from the felt tip and dries to a very even finish. I was pleasantly surprised that it cures stubbornly strong (scratch proof when fully cured for a day). This product has definitely saved me a lot of time agitating paint, uncapping bottles and washing brushes. I do hope that they expand the offering of colours from this range of products.

Cheers,

Calvin

US 104th Infantry Division, Germany 1945

I was hoping to complete this figure over this weekend, but it took a little longer as I somehow decided to replace the original M1 helmet with a more updated version from Alpine Miniature set 35312.

Cheers,

Calvin

US 104th Infantry Division, Germany 1945

Made use of this weekend to continue work on this Alpine figure. I decided to change the colours from the brown M1937 wool trousers to the M1943 olive green trousers to better complement the wracked green wardrobe he is standing on.

Paints used to mix the colour tone for the M1943 trousers.

This is the support I am using to paint the figure.

The chair, wardrobe and pot are from Miniart; tossed together with several components from my scrapbox. As usual, all are painted with AK Interactive Gen 3 acrylics.

Cheers,

Calvin

US 104th Infantry Division, Germany 1945

Moving on to the figure this evening.

Cheers,

Calvin

A Small Head Study

Embarking on a new project. A Hornet face transplanted onto an Alpine head.

Cheers,

Calvin

Hornet Models - 1/35 scale Commonwealth Soldier

Finally done with this piece after fumbling around with the groundwork for more than 7 weeks. After modelling for so many years, this is my first attempt in creating a body of water for my groundwork. It is not as straightforward as I thought and I hope that the mistakes are adequately concealed. Nonetheless I had fun creating this piece and I hope you will enjoy the photos of the outcome.

The base colour for the British army battle dress consists of a 1:1 mixture of British Uniform and Mud Brown. With the base colour, Light Earth is added for highlights and Grim Brown for the intermediate shadows. Grim Brown is used straight from the bottle for the deepest shadows and Brown Black ink is used to outline the seams and reinforce the deep shadows. Sheen caused by the ink is matted down with AK Ultra Matt Varnish. 

Cheers,

Calvin

Hornet Models - 1/35 scale Commonwealth Soldier

 A little more progress today.

Cheers,

Calvin

Hornet Models - 1/35 scale Commonwealth Soldier

 Adding some Hessian scrim to the helmet.

Cheers,

Calvin

Hornet Models - 1/35 scale Commonwealth Soldier

 Detailing the uniform and ammo pouches this weekend.

Cheers,

Calvin

Hornet Models - 1/35 scale Commonwealth Soldier

 Moving on to the body.

Cheers,

Calvin

Hornet Models - 1/35 scale Commonwealth Soldier

 Started on another old classic figure from Hornet Models.

Cheers,

Calvin

Bewährungsbataillon 500

Wehrmacht penal units (Strafbataillon) are rather obscure subjects that have appeared in popular culture like the novels of Sven Hassel, movies like Stalingrad (1993) and the TV series Generation War (2013).

I had always wanted portray such a subject and it was not until my imagination was sparked by the Goliath operator from Tamiya's Assault Team and Goliath Set (MM35357) that I went ahead.

As far as the narrative goes, I planned to depict the character in his element - on a mine clearing detail. I picked out a suitable character head from the Hornet Models range sculpted by Roger Saunders and replaced the right arm taken from the rider figure from Tamiya's KS600 Motorcycle and Side Car set (MM35384). The hands and TM-41 Soviet land mine are from HD Models of Italy.

The figure is presented on a round wooden plinth from Il Basetta of Italy - adding a touch of elegance to the figure.

Cheers,

Calvin

Face Off

In this post I would like to show I go about transplanting the face from Hornet Models onto a head from Alpine Miniatures. This approach is faster and particularly effective because only the face needs to be changed and it allows me to retain the fitting between the neck and the torso of the original figure. 

For the best results, investing in a good set of chisels is a must. I highly recommend the ones from GodHand. They are extremely sharp and hardy and have served me well over the years.

 

Begin by shaving off the surface of the original face. Repeat this shaving process until the desired depth is achieved. Shaving off thin slices of resin requires less strength and allows more control over the chisel, reducing mistakes and injury.

A round head chisel is used to thin out the inner brim of the helmet.

The Hornet head is trimmed at the neck and above the brow line with a pair of sharp nippers.

It is trimmed until it resembles a theater mask.

A blob of epoxy putty is placed into the cavity to serve as both an adhesive and filler for the face.

The excess epoxy putty is trimmed and the irregularities are feathered away with a wet brush.

The completed result.

Cheers,

Calvin